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Putin calls Finland's NATO membership 'mistake'

14 May 2022 17:30 (UTC +04:00)

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Finland's President Sauli Niinisto on Saturday that abandoning military neutrality in the country and joining NATO is a mistake, the Kremlin press service reported, APA reports citing Teletrader.

The Russian President explained in a telephone conversation to his Finnish counterpart that such a change in the region would be erroneous, negatively affecting bilateral relations between the two countries as there are no threats to Finland's security.

Previously, Kremlin warned that Helsinki's accession to the alliance represents a "threat" to Moscow. Similarly, Turkey noted that Ankara cannot positively react to the possible accession of Helsinki and Stockholm to NATO, due to many "terrorist organizations" residing in the countries. Meanwhile, several countries have expressed their support for the alliance's expansion in the region.